ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Alternative successions of the English crown

So, you know how the King or Queen is in charge of England? Well, sometimes when they die, they need to pick someone else to be the new King or Queen.

Usually, the new person is a family member of the old King or Queen. That's because England has been run by the same family for a long time, called the "royal family."

But sometimes the King or Queen doesn't have any kids, or all their kids die before they become King or Queen. If that happens, there are some other people who can become King or Queen instead.

These people are called the "alternative successions" to the English crown. They are usually family members, like cousins or nephews, but sometimes they are even further away from the royal family.

The rules for who gets to be the new King or Queen can be really complicated. There are a lot of different factors that come into play, like who was born first, who is male or female, and whether they are Catholic or Protestant.

But the important thing to remember is that when the old King or Queen dies, there are a lot of people who might become the new King or Queen, depending on lots of different rules.